South Central Reporter

Charlie Meier, House Rep. of the Illinois House of Representatives, voiced his opposition to a legislation potentially impacting the employment of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Oct. 25th. "We are here to protect the jobs of our residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities," said Charlie Meier.

According to Meier, this opposition is aimed at House Bill 793, which he believes would put at least half of the 14c workshop employees and service providers out of work across Illinois. "We want to protect their choice, their job. We are here today in opposition to legislation pending in the Illinois House of Representatives, House Bill 793," stated Meier.

He also warned about potential unintended consequences for workers currently receiving Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance. According to him, these workers may face reduced supplemental income if they transition into minimum wage jobs and could experience difficulty reinstating their benefits if they lose that job.

Furthermore, families may incur additional costs for adult daycare if the employed members are unable to attend workshops during the day due to disability-related reasons. The average adult daycare cost in Illinois is around $1,885 per month according to Meier's estimation.

Additionally, he expressed concerns over service providers potentially losing their jobs as they might be unable to afford paying minimum wages to workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities under House Bill 793.

Charlie Meier has been serving his community since being elected representative for the 108th District in 2013. Before his tenure in politics, he was involved in farming and residential real estate development on his family's Centennial Farm located in Washington County.

Recently, he has been vocal about improving care conditions for residents under Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) program homes which provide accommodations for up to eight unrelated adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Should it pass into law, House Bill 793 will prohibit employers from paying below-minimum wages to developmentally disabled individuals. As outlined in the bill, this directive would be enacted through collaboration between the Department of Human Services and other specified state agencies from July 1, 2027. The bill aims to eliminate the use of active or pending 14(c) certificates permitted under federal and state minimum wage laws that allow payment below minimum wages for employees with disabilities.